Milner wins 2013 BFL All-American on NickaJack Lake
Buswell nets co-angler crown
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Boater Kerry Milner of Bono, Ark., caught a five-bass limit weighing 25 pounds, 12 ounces for a three-day total of 15 bass weighing 63 pounds even to win the Walmart BFL All-American presented by Chevy. Milner won $120,000 in a tournament featuring the best weekend anglers – 49 boaters and 49 co-anglers – from across the country. Milner also won the opportunity to compete in the 2013 Forrest Wood Cup presented by Walmart on the Red River Aug. 15-18.
“I feel blessed right now,” said Milner, whose lone prior win came at a BFL Arkie Division event in 2008. “I fished for three days and prayed for three days. The good Lord was with me.”
Milner said his main spot was near the dam and was a current break at a wall that separated a canal from the main river channel. His baits included a Carolina-rigged Zoom Brush Hog and a homemade football jig tipped with a Zoom Fat Albert grub.
“Any time you fish in a tailrace, the fish are healthy and there are a lot of baitfish there, too,” Milner said. “You find where they feed and you hit them when they come up to feed. I sat there for hours without a bite at times. It was a grind.”
Milner said he’s looking forward to competing in the Forrest Wood Cup against the best pros in the world, even if the body of water is unfamiliar to him.
“I know absolutely nothing about the Red River, but I can do some research,” Milner said. “And I have a ton of friends who support me. My wife supports me and I love her for it. And I’d like to thank my mom and dad for their support. My dad raised me in the outdoors, and I love them for that.”
The top 10 boaters finished:
1st: Kerry Milner, Bono, Ark., 15 bass, 63-0, $100,000 plus $20,000 Ranger bonus.
2nd: Chris Wilkinson, Farmersburg, Ind., 15 bass, 57-3, $20,000
3rd: Corey Bradley, McDonald, Tenn., 15 bass, 51-4, $15,000
4th: Shawn Gordon, Russellville, Ark., 15 bass, 46-11, $14,000; plus $7,000 Ranger bonus
5th: David Williams, Maiden, N.C., 15 bass, 45-4, $13,000 plus $6,000 Ranger bonus
6th: Eric Poindexter, Eufaula, Okla., 15 bass, 44-13, $12,000 plus $5,000 Ranger bonus
7th: Jeremy Lawyer, Sarcoxie, Mo., 15 bass, 44-13, $11,000 plus $4,500 Ranger bonus
8h: Michael Murphy, Lexington, S.C., 15 bass, 40-10, $10,000 plus $4,000 Ranger bonus
9th: Michael Black, Toledo, Ill., 15 bass, 40-2, $19,000 plus $3,500 Ranger bonus
10th: Lionel Botha, Okeechobee, Fla., 15 bass, 38-6, $8,000 plus $3,000 Ranger bonus
For a full list of results, click here.
Overall there were 49 bass weighing 140 pounds, 14 ounces caught by boaters Saturday. The catch included nine five-bass limits.
Buswell snares co-angler title
Daniel Buswell of Newnan, Ga., won the co-angler division and $50,000 with 15 bass weighing 36 pounds even.
“FLW puts on the best tournaments you can fish,” Buswell said. “I am ecstatic and in awe. I knew I had to do really well today, and I just gave it my all,” Buswell added. “My boaters put me around the fish and I just had to put them in the boat. I caught fish on six different baits today. I just made adjustments and it all happened right.”
The top 10 co-anglers finished:
1st: Daniel Buswell, Newnan, Ga., 15 bass, 36-0, $50,000
2nd: Craig Hulsey, Park Hills, Mo., 12 bass, 35-3, $15,000
3rd: Chad Richardson, Bangor, Wis., 14 bass, 32-1, $6,000
4th: David Williams, Fredericksburg, Va., 14 bass, 31-1, $5,000
5th: Nick Angiulo, Hainesport, N.J., 14 bass, 30-11, $4,500
6th: Eddie Cook, Clemmons, N.C., 11 bass, 28-2, $4,000
7th: Tim Cales, Sandstone, W.V., 12 bass, 26-5, $3,500
8th: Will Terrell, Memphis, Tenn., 11 bass, 25-12, $3,000
9th: Ben Wright, Peru, N.Y., 10 bass, 25-9, $2,500
10th: Rod Huff, Monterey, Tenn., 11 bass, 25-8, $2,000 plus $1,000 Ranger bonus
For a full list of co-angler results, click here.
Overall there were 35 bass weighing 76 pounds, 1 ounce caught by co-anglers Saturday. The catch included two five-bass limits.
Coverage of the BFL All-American will be broadcast in high-definition (HD) on NBC Sports Network when “FLW” airs Aug. 13 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. ET. The Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show is hosted by Jason Harper and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
For complete details and updated information visit FLWOutdoors.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/FLWFishing and on Twitter at Twitter.com/FLWFishing.
About FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2013 over the course of 220 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world. FLW is committed to providing a lifestyle experience that is the “Best in Fishing, On and Off the Water.” For more information about FLW visit FLWOutdoors.com and look for FLW on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and YouTube.